This blog presents information about the 62 men named on the WW1 memorial from St James Church, Toxteth.
Use the tabs below or the search bar to navigate the site. The Names page has links to each man. Please leave comments or email me at thewarmemorial@gmail.com

Pages

Monday, February 3, 2014

Private Edward Burston 1544

Edward Burston

Identification:

I found two results for Edward Burston in the CWGC database. One had the
full name Edward but was in the Devonshire Regiment and it stated that he was
from Somerset. The other had only the initial E and was in the South Lancashire
Regiment with no details as to where he lived.

It seemed likely that the second record was the correct Edward Burston.
Cross referencing with the Soldiers Died in the Great War results from
Ancestry.co.uk gave me further proof that this was the correct man. As you can
see below the SDGW entry shows that this E Burston in the South Lancs was
Edward and from Toxteth, Liverpool. I am happy that I have the correct soldier.

Family information:

Edward Burston was born December1894-January 1895 and registered in
Liverpool. He was baptised on 6th Feb 1895 at St John the Baptist, Toxteth
Park. His parents were Samuel Frederick Burston and Priscilla, Samuel was a
labourer and they lived at 41 Gaskell St.

Edward's mother died in 1901. In the census that year Edward aged 6 and
3 of his brothers (William 11, James 8, John 3) were enumerated at the house of
their uncle and aunt Charles and Julie Burston, 90 Stanhope St. His father and
3 further brothers (Thomas 19, Joseph 15, Frederick 13) were next-door at 92
Stanhope St.

The 1911 census return shows Edward with 3 of his brothers (Joseph,
Jim and John) and his father. They were living at 8 Friendship Place, Hampton
St. This may sound pleasant but I think it was court housing with a pretty
name.

Military information:

Edward enlisted in the Territorial Force on 20th April 1912. He was given the regimental number 1544 in the
South Lancashire Regiment.

He was mobilized from the army reserve on 8th August 1914,
embarked at Southampton on 4th December 1914 and was posted to the 2nd
Bn South Lancashire Regiment 5th
December 1914.

Some of Edward's paperwork survived (although damaged) in the National Archives.
His attestation document shows that Edward was aged 17yrs 4months when he
signed up in April 1912 for a period of 6 years. He had been working as a
casual labourer and had a reference from his employer Mr J Hewitt of 22 Hampton
Street.

Edward listed his next of kin as father Frederick and brothers Joseph,
James and John all of 12 Court, 8 House Hampton St, Liverpool.

His medical report shows that Edward was examined on 19th April 1912
when he was 17yrs and 4 months old. He was 5ft 2 and 5/8 inches tall and
weighed 121 lbs. His physical development was good and he had been vaccinated
in infancy. He had brown eyes and dark brown hair. His distinguishing marks
were ‘ a circular scar inside left shoulder blade, a scar small of back and a
mole below left nipple.’

During his time in the army Edward may not have been the perfect
soldier; in the few months he was in France, his record sheet shows several punishments.
His conduct sheet has the following entries:

Wounded 23/1/15 the 'where' looks like 'Linden Hock'

Awarded 3days field punishment No2 for

“Irregular conduct on parade ie laughing on
parade.”

13/2/1915

Awarded 7 days field pun No2 for

“not complying with an order eg not carrying a
wounded man’s equipment when ordered to do so by an officer” and “Disobedience of battalion orders ie wearing
gum boots on parade”

14/2/1915

Awarded 3 days field punishment No2 for

“not being properly dressed on parade ie being deficient
of a waterproof [sheet/shirt?]”

?/3/1915

[Field punishment number 2 involved being shackled
and handcuffed but not attached to anything and sometimes also hard labour.]

The papers also note that Edward "Died, from
wounds received in action. Place: Kemmel" and was "buried in the cemetery
north of the chateau, Kemmel." A later note shows that his body was exhumed
and reburied in Kemmel Chateau Military Cemetery.

Edward’s record also shows that he made an allotment of pay to his
brother Frederick Samuel Burston of 112 Upper Essex St, Liverpool. His father
had passed away in 1913. In 1920 Frederick completed Eligibility Forms for and listed Edward’s family as consisting of himself, two other
brothers (John and James) and Thomas who was listed as a half-brother. Joseph
and William were not mentioned.

The entry in UK SOLDIERS DIED IN THE GREAT WAR
1914-1919 shows the following:

Name:

Edward
Burston

Birth Place:

Toxteth, Liverpool

Death Date:

12 Mar
1915

Death Location:

France
& Flanders

Enlistment Location:

Liverpool

Rank:

Private

Regiment:

Prince of
Wales's Volunteers (South Lancashire Regiment)

Battalion:

2nd
Battalion

Number:

1544

Type of Casualty:

Died of
wounds

Theatre of War:

Western
European Theatre

Edward’s medal card shows that he was a
private, earned the Victory, British and 1915 Star medals and Died of Wounds
12th March 1915. It also shows that he fought in France, entering this 'theatre
of war' on 5th December 1914.

Death and Commemoration

The date of Edward’s death places it at the
Battle of Neuve Chapelle and it is likely that he received his wounds on the
opening day of the action, 10th March 1915.

You can read more about Neuve Chapelle here.Private Edward Burston's body was exhumed from its original burial site and buried in Kemmel Chateau Military Cemetery, Belgium. This is about 8 miles from Ypres and holds 1131 casualties of WW1.

Edward’s family informed the Liverpool Echo
of his death and the following notice and photograph were printed on 6th
April, you will see that it mentions St James’ Church.

Edward’s name was placed on the St James
Memorial but, with the loss of that memorial, he was not commemorated anywhere in
Liverpool until 2012 when we had his name added to the Roll of Honour at Liverpool
Town Hall.

4 comments:

I came across the blog by accident. Edward Burston was the cousin of my late mother, Lowina. he was killed the year before she was born. I knew nothing about him until I researched my Grandfather, Charles Warren Burston and found Edward and his family living with my Grandad and hos wife Julia. It was fascinating to read about Edward and his sacrifice and to see photographs of him. I can see a family resemblnce to my brother and great-nephew, so maybe something of Edward lives on! Stephanie Tulej

Hi Stephanie, thanks for getting in touch, I'm glad you found the blog and that I could help you find out a bit more about Edward Burston. How wonderful that his story can be remembered and passed down through his family again. If you would like to get in touch with any questions you will find my email address on the contacts page. Amanda

Hi Stephanie, Do you mean St James' Memorial? it was stolen and presumed destroyed as a fragment of it is all we have left. If you mean the Roll of Honour at the Town Hall it is actually a Hall of Remembrance and the roll is on panels on the walls, you can find information on visiting the Town Hall here http://liverpoolcityhalls.co.uk/town-hall/your-visit/ I hope that helps answer your questions.

Funded by the

The St James Memorial Project

This is my hobby which is slowly taking over all my free time!
I love history and researching and I am particularly fascinated by the First World War and how it affected the people of Liverpool. I believe very strongly that War Memorials should be protected and cherished and shared so that the sacrifices made by our local communities are never forgotten.